7. Are You Cayden?

"I agree to the the condition as long as you don't fall in love with me," Prince said with gentle eyes.

Emily gaped at a loss for words. After one blink, a dry laugh escaped her mouth. "You think I'll be interested in you?"

Again, Prince shrugged his shoulders. "Love is hard to predict. It can come at any time, even at unexpected moments. And when it comes, is there anyone who can refuse it?"

Pursing her lips, Emily raised her chin. "I already love someone. It's impossible for my heart to split. Never will I ever fall in love with you."

Prince nodded with a subtle sneer. "Okay. If you're that sure, you don't need to be afraid of accepting the term and condition. As long as you don't love me, I won't do that either. But once you break it, this deal is over."

"Okay!" Emily held out her hand. "From now on, you are my bodyguard. You will work professionally, without involving unnecessary feelings, because I will never fall in love with you."

Prince shook Emily's right hand with his left. "Okay, deal." The curve of his lips hinted something mysterious.

"Now, what is my task? You said you have an important mission. Where should I escort you?"

Emily's index finger shot up. "You don't need to know. All you need to do is just to follow me."

"Are you afraid I'll tell your brother? I don't even have his number."

Emily shook her head swiftly. "Don't ask too many questions. Now let's go. The police might be surprised if we stay here too long." She started walking.

"Where are we going?"

Emily stopped and looked back. "Do you want me to tape your mouth?"

Prince approached Emily with relaxed steps. "I hate walking aimlessly. So, can you tell me the next step? Just one next step. You can keep the final destination a secret."

Emily sighed while rolling her eyes. "We're going to my hotel to pack, then to yours, then out of town. But before that, let's have breakfast. I'm hungry."

"That's more than one step," Prince muttered teasingly. "You're starting to believe me, apparently?"

While Emily was reluctant to respond, Prince continued, "So, a beautiful and slim girl like you also needs to eat?"

"You think I'm not a human? All living creatures need to eat. Wait. Did you just seduce me?" Emily stared wide eyed.

Prince snorted slightly. "I'm just talking. Now let's go get something to eat. I'm also hungry."

Prince left the room first. Emily could only snort before following him.

When the breakfast arrived, Emily's eyes lit up. Her focus immediately fell on the hot chocolate next to the croissants. She couldn't wait to sip it. However, right before she reached for the cup, Prince snatched it.

"Hey?" Emily's brows furrowed in displeasure.

Instead of feeling guilty, Prince studied the contents of the cup carefully. He stirred, observing the texture of the chocolate. Every now and then, he sniffed it.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked, still with the same expression.

"Didn't you learn from experience? You should be more careful with what you consume."

Prince took a spoonful of chocolate. Before the drink reached his mouth, Emily quickly held his hand.

"Wait a minute! That's my chocolate. Do you want me to drink the remaining chocolate of yours?"

Prince blinked innocently. "You're more afraid of consuming my leftover than poison?"

Emily was stunned. "If you're afraid there's poison in it, then why do you dare drink it?"

"I'm your bodyguard. Of course I have to ensure your safety."

Emily took a quick breath. "If you get poisoned and die, can you still ensure my safety? Never mind, don't be ridiculous. Give it back. There won't be any poison in my food or drink. If the criminal intended to kill me, he would have done it a long time ago. But lastly, he just put in drugs, right?"

Prince fell silent while looking at Emily's relaxed expression. "You're afraid of me dying, apparently?"

Emily snorted in disbelief. Folding her arms across her chest, she said, "Of course. You're the only one I can rely on now. If you die, I'll have to travel alone. As you said, it's too dangerous."

While smiling crookedly, Prince put the cup on the table. "I thought you were the type who prioritized feelings. Turns out, you are a thinker."

Emily shrugged lightly. "My brother and I lead a large company. Logic is much more needed when it comes to the fate of many people."

"Is that so? Then, do you have any guesses about who targeted you?"

Again, Emily failed to sip the hot chocolate. Her eyes flickered to the cup that seemed to whisper the answer.

"I don't know." Emily looked up. Her expression was serious. "Our company has many competitors. They all expect us to collapse. The person who sent the attacker might be one of them."

Prince was unmoved. He didn't nod, nor blink. Only his eyebrows knitted thinly.

"Have you often received threats like that?"

Emily smiled wryly. She took a small sip of the hot chocolate, then took a deep breath.

"Several times. They're good at looking for loopholes. Luckily, I always survive. You know? Among my brothers, I'm the weakest. I think that's what makes me their easy target. But since Orion became my personal bodyguard, they don't dare do anything like that."

"Why don't you take your cousin to accompany you here?"

"Because my mission is secret. I don't want him to report to Louis or drag me home at any time. My plan could fail."

Emily dipped the croissant pieces into the chocolate. However, when she was about to put it in her mouth, her eyes got widened.

"Wait a minute. How did you know that Orion is my cousin?"

Hearing that question, Prince froze. "Did you forget that your family is famous? I also know that you have a female cousin."

Emily's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who are you actually? Are you a diehard fan of mine? You can't possibly know much about me if you don't follow the news on purpose."

Prince snorted. "Why do you keep accusing me of being your fan? Are you disappointed that a man as handsome as me isn't interested in you?"

Emily laughed dryly. "Why should I be disappointed? Didn't I tell you that I already have someone? He's the only one I care about. I'm just asking out of curiosity. Or could it be that you are a journalist?"

"No. I'm a photographer who likes monitoring social media. I always hope that my photos will be trending number one. But until now, your fame has always dashed my hopes."

Emily stared wide eyed again. "You're from America?"

Prince nodded.

"Is L City?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"No. I'm from T City. But in recent years, I like to go on adventures looking for good pictures."

All of a sudden, Cayden appeared in Emily's mind. His last name, hobbies, and hometown ... why were they all the same as Prince's?

"Since when do you like photography?" Emily tried to control her voice, but it still sounded rushed.

"Since childhood."

"How old were you when it's started?" Emily subconsciously leaned forward.

Prince smiled faintly. "You're starting to be interested in me, apparently."

Realizing her aggressive attitude, Emily blinked. She straightened her back again and flipped her hair once.

"Please don't make things up. I'm just curious. My side job is modeling for my own products. If your photos are good, you could be my photographer later."

The curve of Prince's lips turned slanted. "That sounds promising. Unfortunately, I've never shot for commercial purposes. I'm more interested in landscape, architecture and human photography."

"Aren't models also humans?"

Prince shook his head quickly. "Yes, but those are two different things. Human interest photography does make humans the main object. However, it must be natural and emphasize the feelings. Expressions, gestures, and reactions captured on camera must be able to arouse sympathy and empathy from the photo viewer. Emotions are the highlight here. Often, the object of the photo is not aware that the camera is aiming at him or her."

Once again, Emily fell into contemplation. She remembered her first meeting with Cayden. The boy took a photo without warning while she was watching a white horse playing in the snow in the farm field.

"Could it be that Prince is Cayden? They have so many similarities. But why doesn't he want to admit it? Or is it just my hallucination? I was hoping too much to find Cayden so quickly?" she asked in silence.